There are a increasing number of elderly persons and hospital patients who are bedridden or spend a substantial period of their time in bed. Bedridden, elderly, and debilitated persons commonly develop decubitus ulcers or other bed sores, including in the heel region of the foot, where it is very common for the tissue to break down. This type of sore can become very painful, as well as dangerous. Additionally, when a foot is constantly covered with bed linens, the toes of the foot can become extremely sensitive to the weight of the bed linens. Further, a foot that is not vertically supported at the sole, can experience foot drop, nerve atrophy and other associated complications.
In combating the primary concern of decubitus ulcer formation at the heel, it is desirable that the patient's foot be held in a position that prevents pressure on the heel, which normally results from the heel resting against the bed surface for protracted bedridden periods of time. There have been attempts in the prior art to remedy this situation. One presently available heel support device involves the use of a heel cup which is positioned between the bed surface and the patient's heel. However, the heel cup is unsatisfactory, because such a support does not adequately distribute the weight imparted to the foot over a sufficiently large enough area. Instead, such a support merely channels the weight to a relatively small area at the Achilles region of a patient's ankle, which rests upon the periphery of the heel cup.
Various boot-type devices are another kind of apparatus disclosed in the prior art designed to support the heel. These boot supports are generally constructed of lightweight foam material and have either a split-front open design, or a wrap around and strap fasten design. The boots employ some type of cushioned heel cord lift to disperse the weight of the leg. However, these boot supports have several disadvantages. Since the leg is enclosed by the device, there is decreased air circulation around the leg, increased moisture build up within the boot, and an impaired ability to properly visually inspect the leg for medical complications.
A further attempted solution found in the prior art is the therapeutic leg support disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,303 by Walle. The Walle support has a generally horizontal portion, with an open-topped depression that is contoured to fit the shape of a patient's leg. This horizontal portion is longitudinally rectangular in shape, with a longitudinally uniform cavity opening leading downwardly into the depression. The contoured depression is inclined and ranges from approximately one half to four-fifth of the depth of the horizontal portion, with the depression depth decreasing towards the distal end of the support. Thus, although open-topped, the side walls of the horizontal portion extend above the top the bedridden patient's leg, substantially enclosing the leg. Further advancing this enclosing effect, the side walls of the horizontal portion contour inward towards each other near the top of the upper sidewalls, creating a horse shoe shaped cavity when viewed longitudinally. This support also includes a vertical foot portion that is connected perpendicularly to the horizontal portion and fully encloses the foot.
The Walle support however, is undesirable in that, since the side walls of the leg support substantially enclose the patient's leg and in fact actually "grab" the leg, a substantial immobilization of the lower leg results. Additional contact and possible pressure or friction points are created by the Walle support, which is contrary to the present invention's goal of minimizing these types of contact. Further, since the Walle support has a vertical foot portion that is fully enclosed, air circulation is reduced and the ability to visually inspect the foot region is greatly impaired.
It is desirable to have a support apparatus that minimizes the possibility of heel or Achilles tendon decubitus ulcer formation in a bedridden patient, while also facilitating accessibility to the foot and leg for inspections and dressing changes. It is further advantageous to simultaneously ensure proper air ventilation so as to minimize the possibility of gangrene or other peripheral vascular diseases forming. The present invention provides an improved medical heel support apparatus that addresses these unresolved problems seen in the known devices in the prior art.